If you are looking for a large family tent to go camping with then you can’t go wrong with a Core Family Tent. As mentioned in a previous article called The Real Tent Sleeping Capacity, it is our suggestion that if you go camping with your family you will be much much more comfortable in a larger tent that gives you (and especially the kids) more room to move around. When I personally go camping with my family of 4 we choose to use an 11 or 12 person tent just for the extra room and comfort.
The Core Family Tents offer 6 different types of tents that are listed as 11 or 12 person tents which make for a great size for a family. Many of these Core Tents look very similar when you glance at them but they do all have their difference so here is a summary of each.
Core 11 Person Extended Dome Tent
This is a traditional setup dome tent that measures 18′ x 9′ with a 74″ center height. It can fit three queen size mattresses. The water-resistant rainy is removable in warmer weather to expose the mesh ceiling for panoramic views or star gazing on clear summer nights. Can’t decide between leaving that rainy on (just to be safe), or taking it o to enjoy those views? No need! Roll one or both sides to expose the mesh ceiling and secure with easy-access toggles.
- Setup: Traditional
- Size: 18′ x 9′
- Door: Has one fron T-Door
- Multi-Room Option: You can attach the included room divider to create separate living and sleeping spaces or to just divide the sleepers up with a privacy divider.
- Price: $269.99
Core 11 Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room
This is a traditional setup dome tent that measures 17′ x 12′ and features a spacious front screen porch with fully closable window panels and full coverage tent floor. It has a 86″ center ceiling height and a straight wall design to give the cabin maximum space. The fully enclosed screen room at the front of the tent can be used as additional sleeping quarters, a place to keep your gear dry, or simply extra space to enjoy the outdoors bug-free. Note that the sleeping capacity listed of 11 assumes that you will use the screen room as sleeping quarters as well. The main room measures 12′ x 10′ and the screen room measures at 8′ (front) x 9′ (back) x 7′ (width).
- Setup: Traditional
- Size: 17′ x 12′
- Doors: There are two doors- go through one door to enter the screen room and the other to enter the main cabin.
- Price: $249.99
Core 12 Person Straight Wall Cabin Tent
This one is a traditional setup tent with 16′ x 11′ of floor space that is slightly less square feet then the 11 Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room but actually is listed as fitting 1 more person then the 11 person tent (again please do not take those sleeping capacities seriously on any tent). It can fit four queen size air mattresses which is the most of any of the tents on this list (though it is a pretty tight squeeze to get all 4 queen size air mattresses in the tent). It has a 86″ center height and a straight wall design. The extra large straight wall tent allows your whole crew to stand, stretch, and move around with ease.
- Setup: Traditional
- Size: 16′ x 11′
- Doors: Has a front and back door so you can enter from the front T-Door or back D-Door.
- Multi Room Option: You can attach the included room divider to create a separate living and sleeping spaces. Make one side or the other your private sleeping space (5.5′ x 11′) and use the rest of the space for gear organization (10.5′ x 11′).
- Price: $324.99
Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent
This 12 person instant cabin tent that is 18′ x 10′ and 80″ high at the center features stress-free setup in less than 2 minutes! The poles are pre-attached to the tent- just unpack, unfold, and extend. It can fit 3 queen mattresses. It has two doors – one T-Door in the front and then a D-Door for a back door if you choose to use it.
- Setup: Instant
- Size: 18′ x 10′
- Doors: Has a T-Door in the center front of the tent and a D-Door on the back center of the tent
- Multi Room Option: Has two attachable room dividers which gives you freedom to create multiple separate living and sleeping spaces.
- Price: $319.99
Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent With Side Entrance
This 12 person instant tent has a similar footprint as the above 12 Person Instant Tent but this one has different doors and windows setup. This version has a T-Door a little off center on the front of the tent and then a full panel side D-Door. The tent can house 3 queen mattresses. Note that for most sleeping arrangements people use in tents having this large side door may not be ideal since if you had a sleeping pad or air mattress in that corner of the tent you would have to walk over it to get in through this side door. It may be one of those things that seems like a great idea in theory but not very functional when you actually use it. Also, the front door being a little off center may not be ideal for many sleeping arrangements either since most likely there will be a sleeper in that corner near where the door is that you will have to maneuver past.
- Setup: Instant
- Size: 18′ x 10′
- Doors: Has a T-Door in the front a little off center and a full panel side D-Door.
- Multi Room Option: A detachable room divider is provided to add privacy when needed or it can be removed for an open living area.
- Price: $349.99
Core 12 Person Lighted Instant Cabin Tent
This 12 person instant tent is basically the exact same as the 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent mentioned above except it comes with the added feature of built-in LEDs. With the press of a button you can illuminate your tent. This model also is blue and grey instead of the yellowish/green and grey of the standard 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent.
- Setup: Instant
- Size: 18′ x 10′
- Doors:Has a T-Door in the center front of the tent and a D-Door on the back center of the tent
- Multi Room Option:Has two attachable room dividers which gives you freedom to create multiple separate living and sleeping spaces.
- Price: $399.99
Final Thoughts
All of these above Core Family tents are great and it really comes down to personal preference on style, whether your prefer a traditional or instant tent set up, door arrangements and if you want some added features like LED lights. Personally I like the standard Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent since I like the front and back door arrangement and the size of the tent and don’t need LED lights in the tent since I find that my simple hanging tent light works just fine. You can’t go wrong with any of these choices though. To find out additional information on Core Tents visit their site at coreequipment.com.
